At one point, the priest said that he might offer them to listen to the sermon. And he began to say what he had prepared for Sunday Mass...
Two masked men broke into Fr. Arthur O'Neill, pastor of St. Bridget in Cabinteely on the outskirts of Dublin. They hoped to get some easy cash . However, they had to settle for a mobile phone, which they left anyway in the garden in front of the priest's house.
Get to know the story of a priest who defeated dangerous attackers without using a weapon or a baseball bat.
Armed robbery
At about 5.00 am on Sunday morning, Father Arthur was awakened by the sound of an alarm. He thought it was a coincidence. He did not hear the burglars enter the house through a small broken window. He got a call from a security company employee and said nothing was wrong.
He hung up the phone, turned around and saw a man with a masked face behind him . He was holding a gun in his hand that looked like a machine gun. The priest was frightened and felt he was losing control of the situation. The bandits began to brandish their weapons and threaten him.
“I insisted that I be allowed to dress because I had just got out of bed. I was taken downstairs where the other attacker was. They were both in their twenties – explains the priest in an interview with journalist thejournal.ie.
The priest invites the bandits to a sermon
The burglars were looking for money. Fr. O'Neill informed them that he had no valuables. The thieves seemed menacing and frustrated . The priest's house was ransacked, and the attackers found nothing of value. They felt disappointed and upset.
– I was stubborn, but so were they – explains the priest. At one point, the priest said that he might offer them to listen to the sermon. And he began to say what he had prepared for Sunday Mass . He thought that perhaps thanks to such a solution, the attackers would get bored and give up further intentions.
– I finally asked if they wanted to go to church with me, but they didn't want to – says Fr. Arthur. Then he opened the door of the house and invited them to come out. The men, after a moment's reflection, took advantage of the offer and left the presbytery. However, they took the priest's mobile phone with them.
– I told them that I needed a phone because I am a priest and I have many contacts there for people in need – he explains.
A cell in the garden
The entire incident lasted about 15 minutes. The priest called the police. Later, using a landline phone, he dialed his mobile number. He discovered that the device lay safely not far from the vicarage. Outside, but in a place where it was protected from the rain.
"It just goes to show that no one is completely evil ," says Father O'Neill. A few days after the break-in, the clergyman told the media that he was feeling fine.
“Thank God, everything is fine, although it was indeed not a pleasant experience. I would not like to experience such events every day. I hope it won't happen again," he explains.
I used: independently.ie; thejournal.ie; catholicireland.net.